Boston Public Radio Podcast

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened up the lines and asked our listeners about Elizabeth Warren’s plan to tackle opioid addiction, including calling on institutions like Harvard to remove the Sackler family name — the family behind Purdue Pharma — from prominent buildings. The House Judiciary Committee voted yesterday to hold A.G. William Barr in contempt of Congress. CNN legal analyst Michael Zeldin weighed in. Former Suffolk County sheriff Andrea Cabral discussed newly released video of Sandra Bland’s encounter with police. Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan weighed in on a new “heartbeat” abortion law in Georgia, one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. WCAI science editor Heather Goldstone talked about a sobering U.N. study warning that over one million species may face extinction because of the human impact on the environment. Former Congressman and Secretary of both Congress and Transportation Norman Mineta shared the upcoming PBS documentary about his life. Joining us for a crash course in rosé were TJ and Hadley Douglass, the co-owners of “The Urban Grape.”

Today on Boston Public Radio: Juliette Kayyem discussed yesterday’s school shooting in Colorado, and the new round of sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran. Kayyem is the Belfer Lecturer in International Security at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and an analyst for CNN. We opened up the lines and asked our listeners to respond to columnist Dugan Arnett’s column in the Boston Globe about whether or not men can pull of wearing sandals in the summer. Boston Globe reporters Andrew Ryan and Beth Healey discussed their recent investigation into links between those who’ve worked in politics and Massachusetts’ marijuana industry. We opened up the phone lines and asked our listeners how they feel about the Uber/Lyft driver strike, which took place on Wednesday. Alex Beam discussed Denver’s push to legalize psychedelic mushrooms. Beam is a columnist for the Boston Globe, and author of the book “The Feud: Vladimir Nabokov, Edmund Wilson, and the End of a Beautiful Friendship.” Judge Richard Gergel discussed his new book “Unexampled Courage,” which examines how a racially charged case against a black WWII veteran during the Jim Crow era led to a political awakening for President Harry Truman. Bob Thompson discussed a gaffe in last week’s episode of Game of Thrones involving a Starbucks cup left in a shot, and the series of finale of Veep, which premieres this week.  

Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law last week a bill that would require companies to stop giving out cups and other single-use containers made of polystyrene foam, commonly known as Styrofoam, by January 2021. Joining *Boston Public Radio *to weigh in was Corby Kummer, a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened up the lines and asked our listeners about Red Sox Manager Alex Cora's decision not to attend a White House ceremony out of protest over President Trump's handling of Hurricane Maria. Then Trenni Kusnierek, anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston, weighed in. Two of the state's high-profile District Attorneys are taking on ICE. Carol Rose, Executive Director of ACLU of Massachusetts, discussed. Maine recently became the first state in the nation to ban Styrofoam food containers. Joining with his take was Corby Kummer, a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy. Trump has appointed a new head for ICE. Ali Noorani shared his analysis. Noorani is the Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum and his latest book is "There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration." We went over the latest national headlines with John King, CNN's chief National Correspondent and host of "Inside Politics." When does dissent in the workplace actually work? Nancy Koehn discussed. Koehn is an historian at the Harvard Business School, where she holds the James E. Robison chair of Business Administration. Her latest book is "Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times."

Today on Boston Public Radio: Robert Mueller is tentatively scheduled to testify before Congress next week. Our political roundtable featuring Charlie Chieppo and Shannon O'Brien weighed in on that and other top headlines. Chieppo is principal of Chieppo Strategies and a senior fellow at both the Governing and Pioneer Institutes. O'Brien is the former treasurer of Massachusetts and former Democratic nominee for governor. Daniel Mulhall, Ireland's ambassador to the United States, discussed Brexit and the death of young journalist Lyra McKee. Israel and Gaza have agreed to a ceasefire after a weekend of violence. Charles Sennott, founder of The GroundTruth Project and a WGBH news analyst, discussed. We opened up the lines and asked listeners about Red Sox manager Alex Cora's decision to skip this week's visit to the White House. The relics of the Civil War are splitting Martha's Vineyard in two. Reverend Irene Monroe and Reverend Emmett Price tackled that and more on "All Revved Up." Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, and a visiting researcher in the Religion and Conflict Transformation Program at Boston University School of Theology. Price is a Professor of Worship, Church & Culture and Founding Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. We opened up the lines and asked listeners about a controversy at Harvard and how Harvey Weinstein's legal woes are tearing the campus apart. Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart joined us with a preview of their upcoming spring season.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened up the show by opening the phone lines to hear our listeners' thoughts on anger: Is it possible to be addicted to it? Is Nancy Pelosi correct for calling out William Barr as a liar when he was asked about Robert Mueller’s response to his interpretation of Mueller’s investigation? Or is it more complicated? Legal analyst Michael Zeldin discussed this and a range of other legal questions. Zeldin is a former colleague of special counsel Robert Mueller, a legal analyst for CNN and a resident fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School. Emily Rooney gave us her famous list of fixations and fulminations. Rooney is the host of Beat The Press on WGBH News. Shirley Leung, interim Boston Globe editorial editor, joined Jim and Margery as she does every week to discuss the latest local headlines. Ryan Landry joined the show for his recurring social observations segment You Get The Picture. Landry is a playwright, lyricist, actor, and founder of the Gold Dust Orphans theatrical company, whose latest production The Ebonic Woman, runs May 2 through May 26 at The Machine nightclub in Fenway. Callie Crossley, host of Under the Radar *on WGBH, *broke down recent headlines that examine the extra emotional burden black and minority women take on in our society, and more. Finally, local beer brewers Maureen Fabry and Adam Romanow joined us in the Boston Public Library studio for the Friday News Quiz, with a preview of the Power Beer Fest, the Mass Brewers Guild's largest fundraiser and beer festival of the year.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” weighed in on the debate over whether Attorney General William Barr lied to Congress. Then we opened up the lines and asked listeners for their takes. Andrea Cabral, former Suffolk County Sheriff, state secretary of public safety, and CEO of Ascend, shared her thoughts on political influence in the marijuana industry. BSO Conductor Andris Nelsons previewed their upcoming season. Nancy Koehn, professor at the Harvard Business School, looked at Beyond Meat’s IPO. Last night the Boston School Committee selected their new superintendent: Brenda Cassellius, the former Minnesota education commissioner. Paul Reville, former state secretary of education and professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, weighed in. Jonathon Alsop of the Boston Wine School shared his favorite new wines.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened up the lines and asked listeners about the Gaming Commission's decision to allow Wynn's Encore Boston Harbor casino to open for business. Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan looked at the debate over Julian Assange's medical care. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, and the co-host of the "Everyday Ethics" podcast. Attorney General William Barr testified to Congress today about reports that Special Counsel Bob Mueller and his team were dissatisfied with Barr's summary of the Mueller investigation. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem analyzed the situation. Kayyem is on the faculty of Harvard’s Kennedy School and a CNN analyst. WGBH Executive Arts editor Jared Bowen gave us his take on the blockbuster movie "Avenger: Endgame" and other arts and culture events around town. David Gergen shared his take on the 2020 race, Mueller's report, and his passion for the arts. Gergen is Founding Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and a senior political analyst for CNN. Our concert roundtable previewed some of the best music events around town. Joining the line-up were Rob Hochschild, Associate Professor of Liberal Arts at Berklee College of Music; Brian O'Donovan, the host of WGBH's A Celtic Sojourn; and WCRB's Brian McCreath, who is the producer of WCRB's Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts, the executive producer of WCRB In Concert, and host of an interview podcast called The Answered Question.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg joined us live at the WGBH Studio at the Boston Public Radio. The Bruins and Celtics are playing in the second round of the playoffs. Could Boston be headed for a championship grand slam? NBC Sports Boston anchor and reporter Trenni Kusnierek weighed in. Journalist Emily Bazelon discussed her new book: "Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration." The cheese wars are on as Italy pushes for legislation to regulate knock-off Parmesan. Corby Kummer explained. Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy. Is America's voting system susceptible to hacking? MIT professor Charles Stewart shared his research. Going over the latest national headlines was John King, CNN's Chief National Correspondent and host of "Inside Politics." Earlier in the show Mayor Pete Buttigieg made his case for why he thinks he should be the next President of the United States. We asked our listeners: Did he convince you?

Officials in Italy are pushing regulation that would protect Italian-made parmesan cheese against “impostor” products made in places like Wisconsin and Ukraine. Corby Kummer, senior editor at The Atlantic, award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.